Not A Rival
by Saya Moonshadow
Summary: Watching her perceived Love Rival being chased around by the dragon slayer, Juvia comes to a very important realization. Set during the Fantasia arc.


**Something short and a little fluffy because I feel like the next few chapters of the manga are gonna hurt a bit. Also because I feel like Juvia's pretty observant, and not quite the overly-obsessive girl the anime and certain circles in the fandom make her out to be.**

**Disclaimer: Anything you don't recognize as canon most likely belongs to me unless otherwise noted. _Fairy Tail_ and all related canon belong to Hiro Mashima.**

**Summary: Watching her perceived Love Rival™ being chased around by the dragon slayer, Juvia comes to a very important realization. Set during the Fantasia arc.**

**Not A Rival**  
**By: Saya Moonshadow**

Juvia Lockser is still not entirely accustomed to being a member of Fairy Tail.

Unlike in Phantom Lord, there is no need to constantly prove herself to be one of the strongest and thus, not worth messing with. The drive to be better is still there, but no longer is it for protection and self-defense - it's so she can better _herself_ and protect the people who matter to her. Nor is she in danger of being picked on by the rare few who are dumb or drunk (or both) enough to not know exactly who she is. Everyone just...accepts her, and it's one of the strangest feelings in the world, one that Juvia is still trying to get used to.

She's not used to seeing a Gajeel who doesn't scare people on purpose, or hit them with an iron rod for talking to him while he eats, or any of the things he used to do to keep their former guildmates in line. He has yet to get into an actual fight, even though she can see him itching to jump in whenever one of the infamous guild brawls starts up. It's understandable, though - they don't trust him yet, and for good reason. If he tries, they might assume he's gone back to the way he was before and turn on him.

Or maybe they won't. Their new guildmates certainly _seem_ nice enough, but time and experience have taught both of them to be cautious.

By far the strangest thing, however, is the fact that people actually _welcome_ her now. Even Gray, wonderful, darling Gray-sama, who she had fought against when their guilds were in conflict, is more than willing to treat her like she's just another person and not the Rain Woman who once plagued Oak Town with constant storms.

And it's not to say that Juvia dislikes any of her new guildmates, oh no! Perish that thought. They're all wonderful, even if that Laxus guy _seriously_ needs to get off his high horse and just stop trying to make everybody hurt everybody else, but Natsu is insistent that he is really a good guy, and Juvia is willing to trust his judgment. A little. She doesn't even dislike Lucy, who is so totally her Love Rival™ for Gray's heart, no matter how the other girl protests the notion.

No, Lucy is definitely a friend; the spectacular Unison Raid they performed together against that awful man in the Tower of Heaven only a few short days ago is proof enough of _that_. The Celestial wizard is kind, and if there's anything that Juvia wants more of in her life, it's kindness.

She can't really blame Lucy for liking Gray, much as she would like to. The man is simply stunning, and, well, she's rather dazzled by him, too, so it's not like she can talk. Sort of.

It doesn't mean she's not going to keep an eye on them whenever they're together, either. After all, maybe Lucy really isn't interested, but what about Gray? Juvia will readily admit that Lucy is pretty with a great personality, quite the devastating combo in some circles. Who's to say _he's_ not the one who might try to instigate things?!

"Juvia!" Mirajane's voice breaks through her reveries, "Focus! We need to make sure we know _exactly_ what we're all doing!"

"Sorry, Mirajane-san," Juvia apologizes with a little bow to the older girl. "Juvia won't zone out again, she promises!"

Mirajane nods at her and continues explaining their plan of attack - they, the girls who had previously been turned to stone by Evergreen's rather underhanded sneak attack, must support the rest of the guild who are currently struggling with the Raijinshuu and each other. Levy will stay behind and work on destroying the enchantment that for some reason is keeping Gajeel and Natsu from leaving the guild, and the rest of them will go out and do their best to either 1) take out Fried and Bixlow, or 2) help anyone else who might be struggling. Once Natsu and Gajeel are free, they will help Erza go after Laxus.

Pretty simple, and yet Juvia still has a bad feeling about all of this. Laxus is, after all, monstrously strong. She has utmost faith in her Gajeel-kun, she really does, and she knows that Natsu is no slouch either, but she truly doesn't know if even those two working together can take Laxus down. Not when Gajeel had already been injured by him once before.

But she squares her jaw and agrees to her part in the plan, of going with Cana to watch each other's backs. _Juvia is a member of Fairy Tail now,_ she reminds herself. _Juvia must not fail her new friends!_

And that's when she hears it.

"LUCY!" yells Natsu's voice, and Juvia whirls around quick enough to see the blonde girl take a few wary steps back. "Lucy, fight me! I bet I can beat you!"

"Natsu, stop it!" Lucy shouts back, and then turns on her heel and flees when he lunges at her almost..._playfully?_

Juvia has seen him in action during guild brawls before, and he was _much_ faster during those times than he is now, chasing after Lucy, who throws her hands in the air and dodges away from him as he continues to follow her, with his usual enormous grin and laughing at the top of his lungs. Juvia has also seen Lucy in action, and knows without a doubt that if Lucy is truly adverse to someone's company or challenges or what-have-you, then by God that person will probably soon regret doing what they were doing. There's a certain level of exasperation in the girl's actions, but Juvia doesn't detect any hints of actual fear or anger there, both things she has, by necessity, gotten very good at noticing.

_It's almost as if— oh. Oh._

_OH._

_Juvia sees! She really does!_

She can't help the smile that spreads over her face at that point, happy and amused and a little bit disbelieving at herself because _how on Earthland had she not noticed this before?_ She must be ten kinds of blind to have missed it!

Watching the dragon slayer chase Lucy around and demand she fight him, Juvia comes to a very important realization: Lucy is most likely _not_ a Love Rival™ at all, even if she herself doesn't yet know the reason why. But it's now obvious to Juvia, and judging by the amused smile on Mirajane's face, it's very obvious to her, too. Even Gajeel has a knowing, if slightly disgusted, look on his face.

"Doesn't he know that's inappropriate? That shit should be done at home or something," her old friend mutters, and Juvia covers her laugh with a small cough.

Not a rival at all.

That doesn't mean she can't still keep an eye on things, though.

* * *

**END.**


End file.
